Cromaine Library to expand

After failed tax millages and years of planning, the library is going to expand

WCC students Madison Light, Logan Benner and Ryan Coleman work on their profile essays which explore the importance of Cromaine District Library to it's surrounding communities.(Photo: Photo by ALAN WARD / DAILY PRESS)

After three failed attempts to get voters to approve a tax millage to fund improvements, the library in Hartland Township's historic village neighborhood is moving forward with building an addition and doing renovations on its own dime.

A two-story, 3,870-square-foot addition on the east side of the library, which backs up to the woods, would be one of the biggest changes.

Although a much smaller expansion than the library has been planning in recent years, library Director Ceci Marlow is excited for the change.

"By summer 2017, which will be the 90th anniversary of the 1927 portion (of the main library), we anticipate we'll be in our newly reconfigured building," she said.

Renderings of the view from the north and east of the proposed addition to the Hartland Cromaine Library.(Photo: Daniels and Zermack Architects, )

Marlow said the new addition would allow for the creation of new areas for youth programs, a teen area, study rooms and other public spaces.

However, the library's Crossroads Branch will close after the lease on the branch Old U.S. 23 just off M-59 expires April 30, Marlow said.

Many changes planned

A number of changes involve turning staff spaces into public spaces and creating new staff spaces.

"We'll take spaces that once were public but became offices and staff spaces and give them back to the public," Marlow said. "Right now, they haul deliveries through the front door, and we want to stop that. We are trying to take back our public entrance."

A separate entrance for staff and deliveries would be added, and the circulation area by the front door would be reduced in size.

"We desperately needed study rooms and tutor rooms," she said.

The air conditioning will also get fixed and rain gardens will be added, among other building and landscaping improvements.

The Hartland Township Planning Commission approved a site plan amendment Thursday, giving it a green light to move forward.

One hitch in the plan is figuring out if there is adequate water pressure for a large sprinkler system inside the library, since it is on a 4-inch well, Hartland Fire Marshal Michael Bernardin said at Thursday's meeting.

Bernardin said it requires thinking outside of the box, and he indicated that he thinks it can be worked out.

No tax dollars would be spent

"We're paying for it entirely out of savings," Marlow said.

The library went out for a millage for the last time in May. It was a 20-year and $12 million general obligation unlimited tax bond issue, which taxpayers in the Hartland Consolidated Schools district would have paid for.

Voters had previously rejected a $23.9 million, 25-year bond proposal in 2010. They also voted down the scaled-back $12 million, 20-year version in 2014.

"We've been able to save even though revenue has been reduced," Marlow said. "We've been able to make cuts in areas the public doesn't see."

She said the upcoming reconfiguration of the library will create "things the community wanted but didn't want to pay for through their taxes."

Contact Livingston Daily county and townships reporter Jennifer Eberbach at 517-548-7148 or at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTheWriter.